Aleksander Zarzycki - Songs (Dorota Radomska; Monika Polaczek-Przestrzelska)

Information

Composer: Aleksander Zarzycki

1. Moja piosenka op. 13 nr 2
2. Między nami nic nie bylo op. 13 nr 4
3. Widzę Cię zawsze we snach nocnych moich op. 13 nr 5
4. Ona op. 13 nr 6
5. Tęsknota op. 13 nr 7
6. Ach jak mi smutno op. 13 nr 11
7. Czyliż on zgadnie op. 13 nr 13
8. Gdyby kwiatki to wiedziały op. 13 nr 14
9. Zielona jałonka op. 14 nr 7
10. O zmroku op. 14 nr 8
11. Bez Ciebie F-dur
12. Błąka się wicher w polu op. 15 nr 3
13. Nie będę cię rwała op. 15 nr 4
14. Siedzi ptaszek na drzewie op. 15 nr 5
15. Panieneczka op. 28 nr 1
16. Astry op. 28 nr 2
17. Dola op. 21 nr 1
18. Dziewczę i gołąb op. 21 nr 2
19. Nie mów op. 21 nr 3

Dorota Radomska, soprano

Monika Polaczek-Przestrzelska, piano

Date: 2024

Label: Chopin University Press

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Description

The repertoire of the presented album is made up by nineteen songs by Aleksander Zarzycki (1834–1895) from opuses 13, 14, 15, 21 and 28 and by a miniature without opus to the words of Zacharjasiewicz interpreted by Dorota Radomska and Monika Polaczek-Przestrzelska. The artistic values of Aleksander Zarzycki’s songs were noticed by Władysław Żeleński, who wrote the following about that output: ‘It is his songs that we value the most, [...] he enriched our repertoire with genuine gems of inspiration. Zarzycki turned out to be a true poet in them […]. These are indeed diamonds with impressive brilliance and artistic setting. Everything about them is sophisticated and noble.’

The selection of excerpts from the collection of Zarzycki’s songwriting fits Dorota Radomska’s original anthology into the ‘exalted’ style, typical of belated Polish Romanticism. The period in which the selected and recorded songs were created (1868–1895) is a time asso-ciated with salon culture, poetic formation, and musical epilogue era. We perceive them as reflective music, somewhat dreamy, already close to modernism.

Zarzycki’s vocal legacy is yet another evidence that earlier ideas – Romantic – were still going strong in the post-insurgency situation of our country, although supported by Positivism. What is more, they were reborn with even more power precisely during the composer’s mature creative period and at the end of his life. The mainstream of music performance of the Positivist period was distinguished by sophistication, but also by certain distance. The aesthetics of those times must have influenced Zarzycki’s piano interpretations. However, such restraint on stage is desirable also today while presenting his songs. The idea is to bring contemporary vo-cal performance closer to the creator’s idea, concerned about the perfect harmonization of all the components of his miniature ‘gems’ and ‘diamonds’ for one voice with piano.

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Aleksander Zarzycki (26 February 1834 – 1 November 1895) was a Polish pianist, composer and conductor. Born in Lwów (now Lviv, Ukraine), he studied piano in Berlin and composition in Paris. He gained early recognition through concert tours across Europe, making his Paris debut in 1860. After settling in Warsaw in 1866, he shifted his focus from performing to composing and advancing Poland's musical institutions. He served as the first artistic director of the Warsaw Musical Society, later directed the Institute of Music, and led the choir at St. John's Cathedral. Zarzycki continued performing until shortly before his death.

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Dorota Radomska (born 1967) is a Polish soprano who graduated with honours from the Fryderyk Chopin Music Academy in Warsaw. A prizewinner in several prestigious international vocal competitions, she made her operatic debut in 1993 as Violetta in La Traviata. Her career has included leading roles at renowned opera houses and performances with major orchestras across Europe and Japan. Alongside opera, she has built a distinguished reputation in oratorio and concert music, with numerous recordings for CD, radio and television. Since 2005, she has been teaching at the Chopin University of Music.

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